West Bengal's Education Department has witnessed an unprecedented surge in undergraduate admission applications, with over 5 lakh students applying through the Centralised Admission Portal. Notably, female students have outnumbered their male counterparts in applications, highlighting a significant shift towards higher education among women.
According to Education Minister Bratya Basu, the total number of applications, including those from other states, stands at 34,64,918, with 5,27,673 individual applicants. Among these, 2,99,800 are female students, surpassing the 2,27,834 male applicants by 71,966.
The centralised admission process began on June 24, involving 16 state universities and 461 government and government-aided colleges. Students can apply for up to 25 undergraduate courses and have the option to upgrade their chosen subjects.
Out-of-state applications have also been significant, with 98,000 applications from over 19,000 applicants from states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, and Odisha expressing interest in pursuing undergraduate studies in West Bengal.
The first merit list will be published on July 12, and the admission process will conclude by July 18. Classes are set to commence on August 7, with a second merit list to follow on August 8.
The mop-up round or the second phase of the admission process is set to commence on August 8 and continue till August 17.